1. Chairperson’s Report

2. Secretary’s Report

• Executive Committee Minutes of October 1, 2004

• Communications:
• Nominees for Student Member of the Senate Executive Committee
• Memorandum to Chairperson Cotter from Executive Vice President Furmanski, dated October 28, 2004, requesting Senate comments on proposals for Clinical and Professional Practice Tracks for Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers Business School/School of Business-Camden, and Mason Gross School of the Arts [docketed below under "Standing Committee...Potential Charges"]
• E-mail from Chairperson Cotter to Executive Committee, sent October 19, 2004, regarding the Constituency Research Project Final Report
• Memorandum to University Senate from Executive Vice President Furmanski, dated October 7, 2004, regarding TA/GA Student Instructional Ratings Survey
• Memorandum to Chairperson Cotter from President McCormick, dated October 12, 2004, regarding Revisions to the University Code of Student Conduct (see also the following, related communication from Vice President Blimling)
• October 26, 2004 Letter from Gregory S. Blimling, Vice President for Student Affairs, to multiple recipients (copy to Senate Chairperson Cotter) regarding Formation of a Committee to Review Rutgers' Policy on Academic Integrity  [Charge S-0408, Academic Integrity Policy Review, has already been charged to the Senate's Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee, with a response date of February 2005.]

• Administrative Report

• Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee, Paul Leath and Ann Gould, Co-chairs - Response to Charge S-0310, E-mail Privacy:  Original Charge:  Examine university policies and procedures with respect to the privacy of the e-mail communications and other computer files of members of the university community and make recommendations for change where appropriate.  Address:  what are the current university policy and practices with regard to e-mail privacy?  Are current policy and practices appropriate for a university community?  How was the current policy formulated and how has it been communicated and explained to members of the University community?  Are there appropriate procedures in place to regulate the examination of e-mail and notify those whose e-mail has been examined?

• Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee, Paul Leath and Ann Gould, Co-chairs -  Response to Charge S-0404, Faculty Departmental Voting Rights:  Original Charge:  Consider the request by the incoming chair of the School of Engineering Rules and Procedures Committee that the Senate recommend to the Board of Governors that language be added to University Regulations governing faculty voting rights in departments regarding joint, 50/50 departmental appointments.  In particular investigate if the following or similar language would be appropriate:  "Voting members of the faculty shall be those faculty members who occupy more than 50 percent of a position in the current budget, and of those holding 50/50 appointments, a declaration shall be made by the faculty member at the time of initial appointment as to the department in which the voting right shall reside."  Subsequent addendum to charge:  Consider and make recommendations regarding creation of guidelines and/or special deanships for dealing with jointly appointed faculty.

• University Structure and Governance Committee, Joseph Blasi and Kathleen Scott, Co-chairs -  Response to Charges S-0324, Senate Bylaws Review, and Charge S-0320, Election Procedures for At-Large and PTL/Annual Appointee Senators:  Original Charges:
• S-0324, Senate Bylaws Review:  Review Senate bylaws and enabling Universityy Regulations as outlined in the Senate Handbook, and make recommendations for revisions, particularly regarding Senate membership, officer eligibility and requirements.  Consult with Senate secretary and chair to identify specific aspects of the bylaws and regulations to be examined.  Preliminary report to Senate Executive Committee by January 2005.
• S-0320, Election Procedures for At-Large and PTL/Annual Appointee Senators:  Review the procedures for election of at-large faculty Senators (and faculty Senators representing other research and academic units) as mandated by Senate bylaws.  Examine the process and make recommendations regarding simplifying and updating the election process.  Consider whether election of part-time lecturer and annual appointee Senators should be conducted by the same process.  Consult with Rita MacIndoe in the office of Academic Affairs regarding last year's election process and outcome, and with Senate Secretary Swalagin regarding recent PTL/Annual elections.  Respond to Senate Executive Committee by January 2005.

• University Structure and Governance Committee, Joseph Blasi and Kathleen Scott, Co-chairs -  Resolution on Facilitating Senate Participation in Committee Meetings Through The Use of  Modern Teleconference Technology: The committee passed the following resolution by consensus and now submits it to Senate Executive Committee:
We believe that the University needs a reliable and stable video and telephone conferencing system in order to facilitate the participation of Senators from multiple campuses in Senate business.  The preponderance of meetings in New Brunswick is a powerful disincentive for participation from members on the Newark and Camden campuses.  The Route 18 construction will exacerbate this problem and heighten the need.  These barriers create a situation where an inordinate amount of time must be spent getting to Senate meetings.  We would like to request that Chuck Hedrick look into this and report back to the Senate.  The use of this technology in the committee’s meeting on October 19th illustrates the usefulness of the idea and its possible payoff.
 
• University Structure and Governance Committee, Joseph Blasi and Kathleen Scott, Co-chairs - On Possible Revision Of Method Of Selecting Governing Board Representatives, the Committee submits to the Executive Committee the following excerpt from its Minutes:
The committee considered  and debated Senator Adam Cooper’s suggestion that student representatives to the governing boards of the University from the Senate be elected only by students, and, by implication, that this be extended to other interest groups such as faculty.  There was no support for this change.  The reasoning was that the Senate is a body that represents the entire University.  The committee wanted to retain that identity in the way these representatives were chosen.  The decision was by consensus.
 
• Appeals Panel, Samuel Rabinowitz, Chair - Report of Findings on the College of Nursing Student Senate Appeal of the Location of the New College of Nursing Building in Downtown New Brunswick (to be distributed as hardcopy at the meeting)

• Potential Charge to Committee regarding Senator Adam Cooper's Resolution in Opposition to the Nomination of George Zoffinger to the Rutgers University Board of Governors

• Potential Charge to Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (per Executive Vice President Furmanski's memo) regarding Clinical and Professional Practice Tracks for Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers Business School/School of Business-Camden, and Mason Gross School of the Arts:  Review and respond to the administration's proposals regarding Clinical and Professional Practice Tracks for:  the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology; Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick and Newark, and the School of Business-Camden; and the Mason Gross School of the Arts.  Report to Senate Executive Committee by February 11, 2005.

• Potential Charge to Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (requested by Senator/Professor Joseph Potenza and Professor Gregory Herzog):  Consider and make recommendations regarding the proposal to increase the information content of student transcripts.  Respond to Senate Executive Committee by February 11, 2005.

• Potential Charge to University Structure and Governance Committee (requested by the Graduate School Executive Council, via Chairperson Cotter) regarding formation of a Senate committee:  Consider creating a University Senate standing committee on graduate and professional education.  Report to Senate Executive Committee by February 11, 2005.

• Potential Charge to Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (submitted by Senator Adam Cooper):  Examine the way that university teaching surveys are used in the university and make recommendations on best practices.  Consider the way these results are analyzed and synthesized by the university, as well as the number of professors and students participating in the surveys each semester.  Also, determine whether or not students are aware of the availability of the results of these surveys.  (Senator Cooper refers to this Targum article for background on this proposed charge.  Secretary Swalagin referred Senator Cooper to the Senate's March 2001 report on "Posting Student Instructional Rating Data to the Web," and he responded that his proposed charge "goes perhaps one step further in requesting that the evaluations be linked directly onto online schedule of classes on each individual entry.")

• Potential Charge to Faculty Affairs and Personnel Committee (submitted by Senator Adam Cooper):  Examine the role that teaching ability plays in promotion and tenure decisions.   (Senator Cooper also refers to the same Targum article for background on this proposed charge.)

• Request for Charge Deadline Extension:  The Student Affairs Committee requests an extension of the deadline for its Charge S-0406, Tolerance/Sensitivity.  The committee was charged as follows:  Tolerance/Sensitivity:  Explore and recommend ways in which tolerance, sensitivity and open dialog may be promoted at Rutgers, particularly among students, in media content, housing, and other areas.  Original deadline:  January 2, 2005.  Proposed new deadline for report to Executive Committee:  February 11, 2005.

• Camden Campus Report - Roger Dennis, Camden Provost
• Special Election:  Student Member of the Senate Executive Committee
• Time Limits for Discussion of Reports

• Follow-up on the Senate's October 2000 report on Use of Social Security Numbers as Student Identification Numbers:  At its October 1, 2004 meeting, the Executive Committee asked Secretary Swalagin to write to President McCormick forwarding the Senate report on use of Social Security numbers as student identification numbers in anticipation of a review of progress made on this issue at this meeting.  The memo sent to President McCormick notes that the Executive Committee will review the response of Mike McKay, Vice President for Information Technology, to Senator Scott's request for an update, and that the Executive Committee may request an administrative update on the issue at a subsequent meeting.

8. Adjournment